(UK) The Sweet Smell of Cheddar! Cheese Grader’s Nose Most Expensive in UK as Company Value it at £5 Million

Family-run Wyke Farms enlists specialist insurance firm Lloyds of London to insure their master cheese grader’s nose and sense of smell

Somerset, England – September 7, 2009 – Wyke Farms, the UK’s largest independent cheese producer and milk processor, are enlisting the help of Lloyds of London to insure their Master Cheese Grader’s nose for £5 million. The Somerset-based cheese expert, Nigel Pooley, has worked in the cheese-producing industry since 1963 and has graded cheese for the century-old, family-run Wyke Farms for the past 12 years, where he specializes in selecting good commercial cheese that the mass market will enjoy.

Richard Clothier, third generation family member & Managing Director at Wyke Farms, is insistent that the quality of their Cheddar is of a consistently high standard and comments: “As an industry veteran with a naturally honed palate, Nigel plays an integral role in ensuring the quality of every batch of Wyke Farms’ award-winning cheddar that leaves the farm. It may seem a bit unusual to go to such great lengths – something that’s typically reserved for celebrities, but then again, we’ve never been afraid to stray from the norm in order produce the best farmhouse cheddar possible. In fact, you could say that Nigel is a bit of a celebrity around our farm.”

Owned and operated by the Clothier Family since 1902, Wyke Farms has become known for their long-standing traditional values and practices, as well as the distinctive taste of their award-winning cheddar. As the one who grades and selects cheese for packing, or more importantly for further maturation to produce their renowned Vintage cheeses , Nigel Pooley is a valuable asset and the guardian of the Wyke brand to ensure its consistency and that each product delivers what it promises on the packaging.

Jonathan Thomas, Group Accident and Health Underwriter of Watkins Syndicate at Lloyd’s, and an acknowledged expert in the insurance of body parts said, “The functional parts of key people in certain industries are often just as valuable to the production process as key pieces of machinery in manufacturing. Mr Pooley breaks new ground as our first cheese nose, but perfume and wine noses we have insured in the past justify similar quality control value .”

He continues, “Like all our policies, we will carefully examine both Mr Pooley, and also Wyke Farms financial justification for the sum insured as part of our assessment of the risk. We can’t reduce our underwriting rigour just because the Pythons declared cheese makers to be blessed! Or was it makers of dairy produce generally?”

Wyke Farms has been producing its award-winning cheddar for over a century and has grown to become the largest family-owned cheese maker and fastest growing cheddar brand in Britain, selling over 14,000 tonnes annually. In order to protect the brand and quality of the company’s range of farmhouse cheddars, Wyke Farms selected Lloyd’s a highly reputable insurance provider known for their high-profile celebrity clients.

Wyke Farms cheese and butter products are available nationwide and can be found in Asda, Co-op, Makro, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose.

Tags: Nigel Pooley, UK

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